Dispenser



D- C. TAYLOR DISPENSER Filed Aug. 21. 1937 1N VENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented July 12, 1938 UNITED STATES DISPENSER Daniel C. Taylor,Huntington Park, Calif., as-

signor to Turco Products Inc., Los Angeles,

Calif., a corporation Application August 2l.,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in dispensing apparatus, and hasfor its principal object the provision of a simple, compact device foruse particularly for dispensing powdered or granular substances, such ascertain food elements, cleaning compounds, and other like materials.

One of the important objects of the invention is to provide a dispenserof the character above referred to, which shall be attractive ofappearance, extremely simple and efficient of operation, easy toassemble and disassemble, and which shall be composed of a minimum ofparts, while at the same time being capable of performing moresatisfactorily the same functions which have heretofore required the useof more complicated and expensive apparatus.

Another important object is to provide a dispensing apparatus having anoperating mechanism which, because of its design, is simpler and moreefficient and at the same time more durable than any heretofore used,and therefore less likely to get out of order.

A further important object of the invention is to provide, in amechanical dispensing apparatus for powdered or granular substances, al

new and novel type of mechanism for agitating the supply of material tobe dispensed, as well as a delivery means which accomplishes the releaseof` desired quantities of said material in a more satisfactory anddirect manner than has heretofore been attained.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from thedisclosures in the accom- Lpanying drawing and following specification.

The invention, in a preferred form, is illustrated in the drawing andhereinafter more fully described.

In the drawing:

Figure 1` is a side view showing the improved dispensing apparatus ofthis invention in vertical cross-section.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same device, partially in sectionand parts being broken away to morevclearly show the interior workingmechanism.

Figure 3 is a partial side elevation of the device.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 50; 4-4 of Figure 1,certain minor elements being deleted for purposes of clarity.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 3, and

Figure 6 is a detail perspective View showing more clearly the workingarrangement of the of California 1937, serial N0. 160,319

(cl. .2m- 106) principal parts of the combined agitating and dispensingmechanism of the invention.

As shown in the drawing:

The reference numeral iii indicates generally the main body portion of acylindrical container which is adapted to be rigidly supported indispensing position upon a wall or the like by any well known type ofattaching means i2.

The cylinder lil is provided with a suitable lid lli having a handle it,and the edge of the lid is bent downwardly to form a continuous flangeor the like i8 preferably adapted to seat upon an annular shoulder orstop 2li formed integral with the exterior surface of the cylinder ill.

The iiange i8 is provided at its rearmost point with an aperture 22adapted to engage and receive a small lug or button 2li formed at asimilar location upon the exterior of the cylinder as best shown inFigure l. The purpose of the cooperating lugf and aperture 22 is toproperly locate the lid upon the cylinder so as to align a pair ofapertured extensions or ears iii and 28 which are formed at the oppositeor forward surfaces of the lid and cylinder, respectively, theiropenings being normally in registration with each other and adapted tojointly accommodate the bow of a padlock or some other locking device(not shown), in the event it is desired to guard against unauthorizedaccess to the interior of the device at this point and against possibleremoval and consequent loss of the lid.

The hole and button combination 22".'-242 also serves as a hingesubstitute, inasmuch as it forms a temporary releasable connectionbetween the container lll and lid lll when the latter is lifted duringexamination and re-nlling operations, and serves to retain the lid insuch position during these operations so that the forward ears 2S and 28will immediately resume their aligned relation when the lid againlowered. A further function of the hole and but-ton elements 22 and 2liis to prevent rotation of the lid upon the container independent of theuse of a forward locking device.

A bottom or outlet member 3l! is provided and is preferably securedunder the lower mouth of the cylinder lll in any conventional manner soas to provide atight t and at the same time allow for its ready removalfor purposes of disassembling, repairs, cleaning, and the like.

For purposes of illustration I have shown the upper'edge of the member36 formed with a cir-V cular vertically disposed flange 32 of slightlylesser diameter than the diameter of the lower mouth of the cylinderll), which flange is adapted to be slid into the lower mouth of thecylinder, and because of the close frictional engagement of the surfacesinvolved, will normally result in a secure, tight-fitting `ioint ofsufficient strength to support the completely assembled bottom member 38as well as a capacity supply of the material to be dispensed. However,in cases where additional securing means at this point is necessary ordesirable, the bottom member 38 may be positively and detachably securedto the cylinder element Ei! by any well known method, as, for example,by the insertion of screws, rivets, pins, or the like (not shown) atproper locations and in a manner so as to pierce the cylinder wall l andengage the material of the flange 32.

A horizontally disposed outwardly directed annular shoulder 34 locatedat the base of the flange 32 provides a uniform seat or stop for thelower edge of the cylinder l0 and serves to locate the respective partsin perfect symmetrical arrangement.

As best shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the bottom or outlet member 30 ispreferably a casting of frustro-conical shape, the interior of which ispartially hollowed out to form a Wide upper chamber or mouth 35, theinterior wall of which inclines downwardly and inwardly.

The lower section of the base 3D has a round horizontal bore 38extending thereinto beginning at an exterior opening 4@ and terminatingat a point slightly beyond Vertical center, as best shown in Figures 2and 5.

The ceiling of the bore 38 is broken by an opening 42 connecting thebore with the chamber or mouth 36, and a vertical outlet channel 44extends downwardly from the oor of the bore to an exterior dispensingmouth 46, thus forming a continuous Vertical passage from within thecontainer Il) to the exterior dispensing opening 4S.

Positioned centrally within the base 30 and directly between thepassages 42 and 44 and rigidly mounted at one end of a shaft 48, is agear wheel or the like 50 rotatable with the shaft 43. The inner end ofthe shaft 48 is journaled in a recess 52 formed in the interior of thebase 3l), while its opposite end is somewhat elongated and is mounted ina removable bearing 54 which is of sufficient length to ll all of saidbore with the exception of the space occupied by the gear wheel 58, andleaving a chamber in the central portion of the base 30 just largeenough to permit of free rotation of the gear wheel 58. The shaft 48extends completely through the bearing 54 and terminates at a pointexteriorly of the apparatus, at which location a crank 56 or the like isdetachably mounted thereon by means of which crank the shaft 48 and itsattached gear-Wheel58 are rotatable.

The bearing 54 may be retained within the base 30 by means of a setscrew 58, and a similar set screw 68 may be the means of retaining thecrank 56 upon the end of the shaft 48.

In the preferred form of construction the gear teeth 62 are spacedconsiderably apart and have a relatively wide face and deep root circle,as best shown in Figures l and 6, for reasons hereinafter mentioned.

Fixedly mountedwithin the cylinder Il) is a funnel-shaped hopper elementor the like 64, preferably having a vertically disposed upper edge orange 66 by means of which it can be conveniently slid into or out of thecylinder Il), and which flange also serves to provide a frictionalcontact for the interior wall of the cylinder l0 for keeping the hopper64 in proper position within the device. However, the hopper 64 may beheld in place by means of screws, pins, or any other suitable auxiliaryfastening means (not shown), if such additional securing means aredesired.

The lower portion of the hopper 64 terminates in a circular opening 68,the outer edge of which preferably rests upon the rounded surfaces of apair of shoulders 'l which forms a part of the oor of the chamber 35,being the upper walls of the bore 4B.

Situated within the hopper 64 at approximately the middle thereof is anagitating ring or the like l2 resting upon and rigidly secured at thepoints 74 and 16 to a horizontally disposed shaft 13 the ends of whichare journaled in suitable bearings 88 located upon the interior surfaceof the hopper 64.

The middle of the shaft 78 is provided with a flat face 80 to which isrigidly attached a vertically disposed flat leaf spring element 82, theupper portion of which is constantly retained in vertical position by anarm 84, one end of which is welded to the interior wall of the hopperflange, as best shown in Figures 1 and 4, and the arm 84 inclinesupwardly and interiorly, with its free terminus being located centrallyof the container l S, at which point it is provided with an aperture 86for loosely retaining the upper end of the leaf spring 82.

The lower portion of the leaf spring extends downwardly past the shaftT8 and is sufficiently long to extend through the passage 58-36-42 andto a point Within the outer circle of the gear Wheel 58 and between theteeth thereof.

When the apparatus is thus fully assembled and a supply of dispensablematerial contained therein, a small amount of said material will dropdown through the hopper 64 and past the openings 68-36- 42, and come torest in the grooves between the gear teeth 62 then in close proximitywhich provide a temporary floor for restraining the downward flow of thematerial. Thereupon any turning of the crank 56 will cause the gearwheel i) to revolve and carry downward toward the dispensing channel 44any material resting in the grooves, which material will then obviouslydrop through the outlet 44-46 as fast as it is deposited thereinto bythe gear wheel grooves passing thereover.

The action of turning the crank 55 also simultaneously results in a verythorough agitation of the contents of the dispenser, for as the gearwheel 58 revolves, the teeth 62 thereof will strike the lower edge ofthe spring 82 in the manner best shown in Figure 1, whereupon the springwill be under tension until suddenly released after having passed overthe face of the gear tooth, whereupon it snaps quickly back into itsoriginal rigid suspended position, thus providing a very pronouncedvibration along the entire surfaces of the spring 82, the ring 12, andthe shaft 78, as said shaft will pivot in its bearings due to thecorresponding movement of the ring 'l2 with that of the shaft '18,which, of course, always moves with the vibrations of the leaf spring82, being rigidly attached thereto.

It will be apparent that this motion provides for agitation of thedispenser contents at all points where such action is desirable, theleffect of the vibratory movement of the mechanism keeping the materialin readily dispensable form at all times so that it can easily gravitatedownward and keep the dispensing channel well supplied, a result whichhas been much sought after in devices heretofore used, but only rarelyattained even in dispensers having more complicated and expensivemechanisms.

A further exclusive feature of the invention is that the dispenserconstruction herein described may be operated by turning the crank 56 ineither direction, that is, clockwise or anti-clockwise, with the sameidentical result of causing a satisfactory agitating and dispensingaction simultaneously, and without harming the device in any `way.

Since the amount of material dispensed by one complete turn of the crank56 is governed by the amount carried by the gear wheel 50, the gearteeth 62 may be spaced far apart as hereinbefore described, to providefor maximum capacity. It will be apparent that when delivery of asmaller amount of material per turn of the crank is desired, a gearwheel of more limited capacity may be easily substituted, because of theextremely simple design and ready removability of the parts involved,thus enabling an owner,V or operator to use the same dispenser forpurposes of dispensing a, wide variety of materials in differentquantities at different times, without necessity of having on hand andin simultaneous use a large number of separate dispensers.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details. ofconstruction, Varied throughout a wide range without departing from theprinciples of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limitingthe patent granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the priorart.

I claim as my invention:

1. A dispensing apparatus, comprising a reservoir having a dispensingopening in the bottom thereof, and having means for simultaneouslyagitating the contents of the dispenser and dispensing predeterminedquantities thereof, said means including a rotatable toothed wheel positioned adjacent the dispensing opening, a horizontally disposed shaftpivotally mounted in the reservoir above the toothed wheel, ahorizontally disposed vibrator element rigidly attached to and movingwith said shaft, a vertically disposed leaf spring element rigidlyattached to said shaft and having its upper end extending upwardly intothe body of the reservoir above Ythe said shaft and vibrator element,the lower end of said spring depending downwardly in the direction ofthe dispensing opening and terminating at a point within the outercircle of said toothed wheel and between the teeth thereof, and meansfor restrainin g the sidewise movement of the upper spring endandexterior control means for imparting motion to said agitating anddispensing means, said control means being operable in either aclock-wise direction or in an anti-clockwise direction at the will ofthe operator.

2. A dispensing apparatus, comprising a reservoir having a dispensingopening in the bottom thereof, and having means for simultaneouslyagitating the contents of the dispenser and dispensing predeterminedquantities thereof, said means including a rotatable toothed wheelpositioned adjacent the dispensing opening, a horizontally disposedshaft pivotally mounted in the reservoir above the toothed wheel, ahorizontally disposed vibrator element rigidly attached to and movingwith said shaft, a vertically disposed leaf spring element rigidlyattached to said shaft and having its upper end extending upwardly intothe body of the reservoir above the said shaft and vibrator element, thelower end of said spring depending downwardly in the direction of thed-ispensing opening and terminating at a point within the outer circleof said toothed wheel and between the teeth thereof, and means forrestricting the sidewise movement of the upper spring end, and exteriorcontrol means for imparting motion to said agitating and dispensingmeans.

3. A dispensing apparatus, comprising a reservoir having a dispensingopening in the bottom thereof, and having means for simultaneouslyagitating the contents of the dispenser and dispensing predeterminedquantities thereof, said means including a charge measuring deviceadjacent said opening, a horizontally disposed shaft pivotally mountedin the reservoir above said charge measuring device, a horizontallydisposed vibrator element rigidly attachedto and moving with said shaft,a vertically disposed leaf spring element rigidly attached to said shaftand having its upper end extending upwardly into the body of thereservoir above the said shaft and vibrator element, the lower end ofsaid spring depending downwardly in the direction of the dispensingopening and terminating at a point within the horizontal plane of saidcharge measuring device, and means for restricting the sidewise movementof the upper spring end, and exterior control means for imparting motionto said agitating and dispensing means.

4. A dispensing apparatus, comprising a reservoir having a dispensingopening, and having means for simultaneously agitating the contents ofthe dispenser and dispensing predetermined quantities thereof, saidmeans including a charge measuring device adjacent said opening, ahorizontally disposed shaft pivotally mounted in the reservoir abovesaid charge measuring device, a horizontally disposed vibrator elementrigidly attached to and moving with said shaft, yielding means normallyholding said shaft and vibrator element substantially in a predeterminedposition, and means operable from the charge measuring device forrocking said shaft against the tension of said yielding means, andexterior control means for imparting motion to said agitating anddispensing means.

DAN. C. TAYLOR.

